Acts 1

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: Acts

Rusty's Notes

??? - What is the difference between an apostle and a disciple?
        While a disciple is one who learns from a teacher, a student (pupil), an apostle is sent to deliver those teachings to others (delegate). Apostles – Those who saw Jesus after the resurrection and were sent as messengers to tell the Gospel.
          The word "disciple" comes from the Latin discipulus, or pupil. "Apostle" comes from the Greek word apostolos, or delegate.
 
Acts 1
1 I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus,

• Theophilus “dear to God” or “friend of God”. A person to whom Luke dedicated his gospel (Luke 1:3) and its sequel, the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:1).
• Theophilus was most likely a Gentile “God-fearer” in need of an “orderly account” of the gospel, about which he may have had some knowledge.[1]
• Theophilus may have received the special dedication for being a patron who helped defray some of the costs of Luke’s writing.[2]

about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

• After His resurrection, Jesus remained on earth for forty days and ministered to His disciples.
• He had already opened their minds to understand the Old Testament message about Himself (Luke 24:44–48), but there were other lessons they needed to learn before they could launch out in their new ministry.
• Jesus appeared and disappeared during those forty days, and the believers never knew when He might show up.[3]
• The period of instruction was a time of transition. In the Gospel it was the time when Jesus completed his earthly ministry.
• In Acts it was the time when Jesus prepared the apostles for theirs.[4]

 
THE HOLY SPIRIT PROMISED
4 While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.” (Luke 3:16 - 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I am is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.[5])
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

• This explains that the power of the church comes from the Holy Spirit and not from man.
• God’s people experienced repeated fillings of the Spirit as they faced new opportunities and obstacles (Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9).
• Ordinary people were able to do extraordinary things because the Spirit of God was at work in their lives.
• Throughout Scripture we have stories of the Spirit coming “upon” people.
• Numbers 11:16-30

SEVENTY ELDERS ANOINTED

• The Lord answered Moses, “Bring me seventy men from Israel known to you as elders and officers of the people. Take them to the tent of meeting and have them stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spirit who is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.

• 18 “Tell the people: Consecrate yourselves in readiness for tomorrow, and you will eat meat because you wept in the Lord’s hearing, ‘Who will feed us meat? We were better off in Egypt.’ The Lord will give you meat and you will eat. 19 You will eat, not for one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes nauseating to you—because you have rejected the Lord who is among you, and wept before him: ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”
• 21 But Moses replied, “I’m in the middle of a people with six hundred thousand foot soldiers, yet you say, ‘I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month.’ 22 If flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would they have enough? Or if all the fish in the sea were caught for them, would they have enough?”
• 23 The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm weak? Now you will see whether or not what I have promised will happen to you.”
• 24 Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. He brought seventy men from the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then the Lord descended in the cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed the Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they never did it again. 26 Two men had remained in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad; the Spirit rested on them—they were among those listed, but had not gone out to the tent—and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
• 28 Joshua son of Nun, assistant to Moses since his youth, responded, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”
• 29 But Moses asked him, “Are you jealous on my account? If only all the Lord’s people were prophets and the Lord would place his Spirit on them!” 30 Then Moses returned to the camp along with the elders of Israel. [6]

 

• Jesus did not reject the concept of the “restoration of Israel.”
• Instead, he “depoliticized it” with the call to a worldwide mission.[7]
• He promised two things: power & witness
• The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not a luxury; it is an absolute necessity.[8]
• The geographical scope of Acts 1:8 provides a rough outline of the entire book: Jerusalem (1–7), Judea and Samaria (8–12), the ends of the earth (13–28).
• The story of Jesus led to Jerusalem and the story of the Church led from Jerusalem.[9]

 
THE ASCENSION
9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”

• Our Lord’s ascension into heaven was an important part of His ministry, for if He had not returned to the Father, He could not have sent the promised gift of the Holy Spirit (John 16:5–15).[10]
• Luke did not dwell on the ascension. He quickly shifted the apostles’ gaze back to earth. [11]
• We have incredible spiritual experiences. It is in these moments that we don’t remain but we become witnesses to others.
• We share what we know is true with others.

 
UNITED IN PRAYER
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem—a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

• Luke 24:50-53 -  50 Then he led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 And while he was blessing them, he left them and was carried up into heaven. 52 After worshiping him, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they were continually in the temple praising God.[12]
• Jesus ascended from the Mt. of Olives (1/2 mile away)
• The disciples returned probably to the Upper Room.
• Prayer meeting in Mary’s house (John-Mark’s mother) (Lord’s Supper & Peter)

 

• What a variety of people made up that first assembly of believers!
• There were men and women, apostles and “ordinary” people, and even members of the Lord’s earthly family (see Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3).
• His “brethren” had not believed in Him during His ministry (John 7:5), but they did come to trust Him after the Resurrection (Acts 1:14).
• Mary was there as a member of the assembly, participating in worship and prayer along with the others.
• The center of their fellowship was the risen Christ, and all of them adored and magnified Him.
• How easy it would have been for someone to bring division into this beautiful assembly of humble people!
• The members of the Lord’s family might have claimed special recognition, or Peter could have been criticized for his cowardly denial of the Savior.
• Or perhaps Peter might have blamed John, because it was John who brought him into the high priest’s house (John 18:15–16).
• John might well have reminded the others that he had faithfully stood at the cross, and had even been chosen by the Savior to care for His mother.
• But there was none of this. In fact, nobody was even arguing over who among them was the greatest!
• The key phrase is “with one accord,” a phrase that is found six times in Acts (1:14; 2:1, 46; 4:24; 5:12; 15:25; and note also 2:44).
• There was among these believers a wonderful unity that bound them together in Christ (Ps. 133; Gal. 3:28), the kind of unity that Christians need today.[13]

 

• Jesus set the pattern of prayer for His disciples.
• Jesus even downloaded this to Paul.
• Romans 12:12 - 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.[14]
• Colossians 4:2-6 - 2 Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains, 4 so that I may make it known as I should. 5 Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.[15]
• The time before Pentecost was a time for waiting, a time spent in prayer undoubtedly for the promised Spirit and for the power to witness.
• There is no effective witness without the Spirit, and the way to spiritual empowerment is to wait in prayer.[16]

 
MATTHIAS CHOSEN
15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters--

• Peter is portrayed throughout Luke and Acts as one of the primary leaders among the apostles—although that does not mean he possessed sole authority (15:6,22–23) or was beyond rebuke (see Gal 2:11–14 and note; compare note on Acts 1:13).[17]

the number of people who were together was about a hundred and twenty—and said: 16 “Brothers and sisters, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit through the mouth of David foretold about Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was one of our number and shared in this ministry.” 18 Now this man acquired a field with his unrighteous wages. He fell headfirst, his body burst open and his intestines spilled out. 19 This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that in their own language that field is called Hakeldama (that is, Field of Blood). 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
Let his dwelling become desolate;
let no one live in it; and
Let someone else take his position.

• Arnold Fruchtenbaum has this to say about Judas’ death in his Life of Christ series:
  “According to Jewish law, if there was a dead body in Jerusalem, the city was considered defiled and the morning Passover sacrifice could not be offered and could not be celebrated. However, Jewish law goes on to say that if the body is taken and cast into the valley of Hinnom, a place of burning… then the city is reckoned as cleansed and the Passover can be partaken of, and then later they can return and bury the body.”
• November 4, 2018 – Gospels #77 – For more details on Judas’ death.

 
21 “Therefore, from among the men who have accompanied us during the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us--22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us—from among these, it is necessary that one become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 So they proposed two: Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “You, Lord, know everyone’s hearts; show which of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this apostolic ministry that Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias and he was added to the eleven apostles.[18]

• “But it was wrong for them to select a new apostle,” some claim, “because Paul was the one who was chosen by God to fill up the ranks.
• They chose Matthias and he was never heard of again!”
• Except for Peter and John, none of the original Twelve are mentioned by name in the Book of Acts after 1:13!
• Paul could not have “filled up the ranks” because he could never have met the divine qualifications laid down in Acts 1:21–22.
• Paul was not baptized by John the Baptist; he did not travel with the Apostles when Jesus was with them on earth; and, though he saw the glorified Christ, Paul was not a witness of the Resurrection as were the original Apostles.
• Paul made it clear that he was not to be classified with the Tw elve (1 Cor. 15:8; Gal. 1:15–24), and the Twelve knew it.
• If the Twelve thought that Paul was supposed to be one of them, they certainly did not show it! In fact, they refused to admit Paul into the Jerusalem fellowship until Barnabas came to his rescue! (Acts 9:26–27)
• The 12 Apostles ministered primarily to the twelve tribes of Israel, while Paul was sent to the Gentiles (Gal. 2:1–10).

No, Paul was not meant to be the twelfth apostle. Peter and the other believers were in the will of God when they selected Matthias, and God gave His endorsement to Matthias by empowering him with the same Spirit that was given to the other men whom Jesus had personally selected (Acts 2:1–4, 14).[19]


[1] Myers, A. C. (1987). In The Eerdmans Bible dictionary (pp. 997–998). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
[2] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 79). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 402–403). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 80). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 3:16). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Nu 11:16–30). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, pp. 84–86). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 403). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 86). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 403–404). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 87). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 24:50–53). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 404). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[14] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ro 12:12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[15] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Col 4:2–6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[16] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 90). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[17] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 1:15). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[18] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 1:1–26). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[19] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 405–406). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.